Point Buy
In Obscured, creating a Hunter is about making choices with echoes that extend far beyond a simple number. One of the fundamental steps in this process involves distributing points among the Hunter's six attributes... through a system called point-buy.
In the point-buy system, players start with a "budget" of 30 points. Each of a Hunter's attributes starts at a base value of eight. Players then spend points from their budget to increase these attributes, making their Hunter stronger, smarter, or more charming, for example. The cost to increase an attribute scales with the value you're raising it to. For instance, raising an attribute to a value of 14 costs eight points, whereas raising it to 13 costs only six points. This way, the system encourages players to balance their attributes rather than excessively focusing on one or two.
However, it's essential to keep in mind that no attribute can exceed a value of 16 during the initial point-buy phase. The following table illustrates the cost in points for each attribute value:
| Attribute Value | Point Cost |
|---|---|
| 8 | 0 |
| 9 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 11 | 3 |
| 12 | 4 |
| 13 | 6 |
| 14 | 8 |
| 15 | 10 |
| 16 | 12 |
Remember, every advantage you choose comes with a drawback, and your Hunter's weaknesses are as important as their strengths.
John: "I want my Hunter to be really strong and tough, so I'm raising Strength to 16 and Durability to 14. That's 20 points total, right?"
Overseer: "Correct! But remember, you only have 10 points left for the rest of your attributes. You might want to consider spreading them out a bit more, unless you want your Hunter to be a real 'muscle and no brain' type!"